Gate valve



July 31, 1945; J. HENDERSON GATE VALVE Filed May 12, 1945 INVENTOR. BY M Patented July 31, 1945 UN i 1 Claim.

This invention relates to valves, and more particularly to gate valves which are intended to control the supply of bulk material to a hopperlike dispensing casing whence the material is discharged into receptacles therefor. It is the general purpose and object of the invention to provide for such a hopper-like dispensing casing a gate valve which is so constructed and mounted with respect to the inlet pipe leading into the said casing as to eliminate all leakage of dust through and about the valve; also to provide a cooperating construction of casing and valve which will prevent clogging of the outlet from the said casing. Further and more limited objects of my invention will appear in connection with the drawing and the detailed description of the same appearing hereinafter.

Referring to the drawing, Fig, 1 represents a side elevational view, with parts broken away, of a hopper casing having my valve mounted in operative relation thereto and to the tubular inlet and outlet thereof; Fig. 2 a plan view of the easing, tubular inlet and valve handle shown in Fig. 1; and Fig. 3 a view similar to Fig. 2, but with parts of the cover of the casing broken away to illustrate the manner in which the gate valve is constructed, arranged, and operated with respect to the tubular inlet and the hopper casing therebelow.

Describing the various parts by reference characters, denotes the body of a hopper casing having a cover H which is secured to an annular bolting flange I2 by means of cap screws It. The bolting flange is shown as secured within the cylindrical upper portion of the casing by being brazed or otherwise suitably secured thereto, as indicated at l4.

l5 denotes the tubular inlet for material which is to be dispensed through the hopper casin 10, the said tubular inlet extending through the cover and being brazed or othewise securely fastened to the cover, as indicated at it. The tubular inlet extends into the casing eccentrically of the axis of the centrally located tubular outlet l1. I8 denotes a guide plate which extends vertically across the casing at one side of and adjacent to the lower end of the tubular inlet IS. The upper edge of this guide plate is located below, but in such proximity to, the plane of the lower .end of the tubular inlet i5 as to enable the gate valve IS, the outer portion of which rests upon said edge, to provide an efiective seal for the lower or delivery end of the said inlet when the valve is swung therebeneath. The valve is made of durable material, such as steel, and is of a gauge sufiicient to enable it to withstand severe and long continued usage.

The valve is preferably of the shape shown and its pivot is so located as to enable a considerable proportion of its widened outer end to be supported by the guide plate and to enable its outer or swinging end to provide an efiective covering for the bottom of the tubular inlet IS, the 0pp0- site inner end being reduced in width and being mounted for rotation upon a swivel pin 20 located between the longitudinal axis of the hopper casing and the other edge of the cover, the said pin being mounted for rotation within abearing sleeve 2! which extends through the cover, being secured thereto as by welding or brazing, indicated at 22. The bottom of the sleeve is in a plane with the bottom of the tubular inlet 15 whereby, upon securing the valve i9 in place by means of the nut 23, the upper surface of the valve may contact with every portion of the bottom of the tubular inlet, thereby providing a leakproof seal therewith. 24 denotes a bearing element supported on top of the sleeve 2i and through which the upper end of the pin extends. 25 denotes an operating handle for the valve having one end thereof clamped to the bearing element 24 by means of a nut 26.

It will be noted that the major portion of the gate valve proper is substantially circular in outline, and the diameter of this portion is considerably greater than the diameter of the tubular inlet I5. Furthermore, the bottom of the tubular inlet and the pivot for the valve are so located and the valve is so shaped that, when the edge of the outer portion of the valve engages the inner wall of the casing, the circular portion of the gate valve will be centered with respect to the bottom of the tubular inlet i5, whereby there will be a wide and uniform overlapping of the major portion of the valve with the bottom of the tubular inlet. In practice, the outer portion of the gate valve overlaps said inlet by as much as one inch and the remaining portion overlaps the said inlet to an even greater extent, thus contributing greatly to the production of an effective leak-proof seal.

When the parts constructed and arranged as described, when the valve is swung to the brokenline position shown in Fig. 3, material can enter the hopper-casing through the tubular inlet l5 and be discharged through the tubular outlet ill. The shape of this casing and the axially offset arrangement of the tubular inlet and tubular outlet with respect to said casing facilitates the spreading out of the material (such as sand, coal,

031. grain) whereby clogging will be eliminated in the tubular outlet ll. When it is desired to cut off supply, the valve is rocked to the full-line position shown in Fig. 3 by means of the handle 25, the guide plate l8 serving to hold the valve in sealing engagement with the bottom of the tubular inlet.

From the foregoing, it will be evident that I have provided a cooperating construction of hopper having a tubular inlet and outlet, and a gate valve and its mounting whereby the escape of dust or similar finely divided material through the tubular inlet will be prevented and whereby the cloggingof the tubular outlet by the material supplied to the said hopper will be prevented.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is:

The combination, with a hopper-like casing having a cover, a centrally located outlet and a assaae'z tubular inlet extending through said cover eccentrically with respect to the said outlet, a guide plate within said casing and connected at its opposite ends to the said casing and extending adjacent to the tubular inlet, the said plate being mounted vertically edgewise, a gate valve, a swivel pin to which one end of the said gate valve is secured, the said swivel pin being mounted for rotation in and extending through the cover, and an operating handle for said gate valve connected to said pin above said cover, the top edge of the guide plate being vertically spaced from the bottom of the tubular inlet a distance substantially equal to the thickness of the gate valve whereby the latter, when swung beneath the tubular inlet, will provide a substantially leakproof closure therefor.

JQHN L. HENDERSON. 

